Commodore Free 8/Commodore_Free_Issue_08_2007_Commodore_Computer_Club.d64/t.activision

Text File | 2023-02-26 | 6KB | 173 lines

uActivision on the C64 By Luke Lynde

Luke Lynde on the keys... Your C64 is
also a super Atari 2600 console built
in?! Well, not exactly - but you would
be surprised. Read on & find out...

In an obscure way I came to discover
how addictive & playable Activision
games are on the C64, in particular the
titles from the early 80's. I regularly
use an Atari 2600 Emulator called
Z26, so I guess this led me on a search
for some of the C64 versions of the
popular Atari 2600 games. As far as
Atari 2600 is concerned, Activision was
the major software house by a mile, for
the now primitive console.

Conversions to the C64, to my surprise,
I found are even better. With exception
however, there are probably a few
stinkers I am not aware of. In a way, I
suppose that the C64 conversions are
what the coders wanted them to be like
on the Atari 2600.

From Activision games I have played &
what I have read they are a software
house that from very early on, put
upmost dedication in the structure &
implementation of computer games.
Simple code was what existed back then,
for it happened in a less technical
time. C64 is lucky, because the best
versions of the early Activision titles
are only to be found on it. The [4]
Games I will talk about today - River
Raid, Hero, Beam Rider, & Pitfall - are
instant classics that retain a unique
design & gameplay that remains
unsurpassed to this day.

The games have themes in common. The
graphics & sound are all in simple
detail, but are effective & well suited
to the relevant game. As the level/
stage increases - the difficulty
increases by gradual (not too steep)
degrees. You really want to get to the
next level, so the addictiveness takes
hold of you. They are all extremely
playable, & are most of all, fun.

[1] RIVER RAID
Pilot a plane through the canyons, over
the water, destroying anything in your
path. This is a basic vertical
scrolling shooting game, where you must
navigate your plane through enemy
territory - which consists of planes,
helicopters, ships, tanks, & balloons.
Fuel cells can be flown over to
replenish your fuel supplies. Careful
navigation is required so you don't hit
the sides of the canyon.

From the Option Select screen, there
are 8 game variations - where you
travel from bridge to bridge. You can
increase & decrease the speed of your
plane, but you can not stop the
scrolling - so it takes some art to
become good at this game. Be careful to
avoid anything that gets in your way,
by either shooting at it or navigating
your way around it. The graphics &
sound effects are basic & simple, but
the conceptual adaption & playability
rank in the hi echelons of gaming
nirvana.

[2] H.E.R.O.
You have a helicopter attached & a
laser at your disposal. The game
consists of screen after screen of
caverns, which you must guide thru with
the objective of each level: to rescue
the trapped miner. Well something like
that, I don't have any manuals for
these games reviewed today. The
graphics are quite nice, & the sounds
are also suitable for this type of
game. The higher the level, the more
screens a cavern will consist of. You
have bombs at your disposal to blow up
walls, & the enemies consist of
spiders, butterflies (?!), some green
hands coming out of the walls (?!?), &
instant death touch walls. This game
appears very simple & straightforward,
but you always are under the urge to
get further & further in the game where
it obviously gets a little more
complex. At the end of each level when
you rescue a miner, a bonus is provided
for bombs that you did not use. You
will need a steady hand for this game.

[3] BEAM RIDER
A retro fashioned shoot'em up, very
reminiscent of the early 1980's. The
playing area consists of a vertical
grid, with your ship at the bottom &
your enemies moving down on the grid
Toward your ship, in an effort to
annihilate your very existence
completely. An alien UFO type inspired
game. Each sector (level) comprises of
15 aliens to destroy & it is a game of
dodge & kill for immediate success.

Your ship at the bottom of the screen
has 4 positions on the grid to move
between, & as the levels progress you
will have other nuisances to avoid or
kill to make things just that little
bit harder. The playing area is a blue
grid on a black background. At the end
of each sector, a mothership appears
across the top of the screen. Killing
this with one of your three mega shots,
gains you an extra life.

This game is a combination of accuracy,
intuition, & avoidance. Play it & you
will see what I mean. A great game,
that would look good if it was reworked
today to a more modern format.

[4] PITFALL
One of the single most popular computer
games of all time. It is so well known,
& second, so tied up with the Atari
craze, beyond rational comprehension.
This was  "the" Atari game, when
released. You are presented with screen
upon screen of a forest scene, which
involves small changes to each screen
using the same data - making this game
look a lot bigger than it actually is.

You have to swing on ropes, jump logs &
scorpions, step on crocodile heads
(crikey!), collect money, & traverse
lakes of water that appear & disappear.
The point of this game is beyond me, I
did have the instructions a long time
ago. However, it is a good game, a
seminal classic even. As far as this
game goes, & all the others I have
reviewed here - also play the Atari
2600 versions if you can, for they also
retain a similar addictive gameplay.

Well there you have it. Activision
rules on C64. There is more to a game
than excellent graphics & sound. A
prime example would be Tetris. This is
gameplay at its purest form. Take a
trip down Memory lane, & play them
again sometime.